People are just realising why Heinz ketchup bottles have a 57 on the neck and it has a very handy use
HAVE you ever struggled to get the final bit of ketchup out of the bottle?
It turns out that there is a handy way to tap the last bit out onto your plate, and it’s all down to the 57 written on the neck.
If you have ever slapped the bottle on the bottom or used a knife to try and reach the last bit of ketchup, this hack is for you.
A Heinz spokesperson revealed: “The sweet spot to tap on the Heinz bottle is the 57 on the neck.
“All you need to do is apply a firm tap where the bottle narrows, and the ketchup will come out easier.”
Apparently people have only been aware of the trick recently, according to Heinz it its Frequently Asked Questions section on the website.
If you didn’t know about it, it could be a game-changer.
The 57 isn’t just for tapping out the sauce, it turns out.
The number is actually founder Henry Heinz’s lucky number.
Heinz explains on its website: “When he spotted a shoe company advertising 21 styles of shoe, he was inspired to create our iconic 57 varieties slogan.
“Why 57? No one knows for sure. Henry claimed five was his lucky number, and seven was his wife’s.
“But he also believed seven was a significant number for people of all ages.
“Whatever his reasons, the number stuck around.”
He felt that 57 was a magical number so came up with the slogan “57 Varieties”, even though the company offered over 60 products at the time.
Now the brand has expanded and has over 5,700 products, but is still known for its “57 Varieties.”
This doesn’t only include sauces, but staples like baked beans, mayonnaise and tomato soup, too.
It’s not the first time Brits have been shocked by Heinz.
Heinz dilemma
Sauce-lovers were previously divided by where they’re supposed to store ketchup.
The question of whether to leave the famous sauce in the cupboard or fridge has bugged consumers since it first went on sale in 1869.
Heinz has finally put the dilemma to bed, tweeting that the red stuff should in fact be put – in the fridge.
Posting on Twitter, the firm recently said: “FYI: Ketchup. goes. in. the. fridge!!!”
The post has been liked over 18,000 times with a number of shoppers agreeing the sauce should be kept cool.
Brits have also been left scratching their heads over how to open the saucy bottle properly.
A ketchup “life hack” tells Brits to twist off the lid and utilise the jagged point under the cap.
The history behind Heinz Tomato Ketchup
WHEN you think tomato sauce, you think of the iconic Heinz sauce.
Heinz comes from very humble beginnings, originally launched in America in 1876 and then in the UK a decade later.
But now, more than a century on, 650 million bottles and 11 billion sauce sachets of tomato sauce are sold every years in more than 140 countries – enough for every person on the planet.
Heinz Tomato Ketchup was founded by American businessman Henry John Heinz.
But this wasn’t his first product – he began making horseradish sauce based on his mothers recipe in 1869.
But when that folded he called on his brother, John Heinz, and his cousin, Frederick Heinz.
The trio opened a factory in Ohio and developed the ketchup – called Catsup at the time.
And where did their inspiration come from?
A Chinese fermented fish sauce called Koe-chiap.
By 1907, Heinz was producing 12 million bottles of ketchup per year, exporting it all over the world, including Australia, South America, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.
Sales boomed despite the death of Henry J Heinz in May 1919 at the age of 74 until the interruption of World War Two, when tomato supplies were cut off to the British ketchup factory in Harlesden – leaving Brits to rely on Heinz Salad Cream instead.
It took nine years before ketchup was back on the shelves.
Today, the iconic company sells more than 5,700 products across the globe.
Heinz produces it own tomato seeds through traditional techniques, grown in the Mediterranean and California.